CIRM Funded Clinical Trials
Safety and Tolerability Study of Neural Stem Cells (NR1) in Subjects with Chronic Ischemic Subcortical Stroke
Details:
Gary Steinberg, M.D., Ph.D., and his team at Stanford University are conducting a clinical trial to test a therapy for motor disabilities caused by chronic ischemic stroke. While “clot busting” therapies can treat strokes immediately after they occur (acute strokes), these treatments can only be given within a few hours of the initial injury. There are no approved drugs to treat the disabilities that remain in the months and years after stroke (chronic stroke). This team will use neural stem cells (NSCs), a kind of stem cell that can form different cell types found in the brain. The NSCs, in turn, are derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and these can form virtually any human cell type. In a surgical procedure, the team will inject the NSCs directly into the brains of chronic stroke patients. While the ultimate goal of the therapy is to restore loss of movement in patients, this is just the first step in clinical trials for the therapy. This first-in- human trial will evaluate the therapy for safety and feasibility and look for signs of efficacy in the form of improved movement.
